Wednesday 1 April 2009

Our Kids

JoJo loves....dancing...putting things in boxes or tubs or water....splashing....climbing (the more dangerous and precarious the better)...yelling for food....giving you things....taking them back again....and giving you them again!....knocking over building blocks....

Here he is placing some objects in a pot with great precision and concentration!
LissaLou had her Conseil des Parents last Friday which I duly attended. I was not very impressed though, as it was all about targets targets targets and how they have got behind as a result of the strike (they are four and five years old!!!) so a week of the Easter holidays and the May half term as well as all school outings (including swimming) have been cancelled. Honestly! Don't they realise there is value outside of sitting at your desk and colouring pictures in? When we came out, another mum and I looked at each other in despair and asked "but when do they play?" They even want us to do workbooks at home to ensure the kids don't get behind!! Groan...
Here is a picture of our family

This is all fine for LissaLou as she loves these kind of activities but what about those kids who don't and would rather discover the world in a different way? I was also annoyed by the teacher telling us that one child has been promoted to the Champion's group (LissaLou's) for hard work - what is that telling those not in that group I wonder? And finally she told us that those in the Support Group were doing really well, especially LissaLou who has made great progress. Fantastic! Er, hang on, what support group? Nobody mentioned this to me! I discovered she has been seeing the Language specialist twice a week to enrich her French vocab (other children in the class are creole only speakers).
LissaLou learnt to draw a Poule from using her hand at school - note the ou sound that they learnt at the top in red.
CassCass comes out with the funniest things. This week she asked for a biscuit because "it is shouting CassCass at me!". When we discussed that we liked the same food, she told me "nous sommes copines Maman" - ah!

I can't believe how good her pen control is - presumably due to copying LissaLou in part. Her pictures of people are coming on well
And here is her writing (I think she was writing her name).

She likes to walk to school with LissaLou and me carrying LissaLou's bag like a proper little schoolgirl! She keeps telling me she has her own school too! At home it is lovely to see her and JoJo playing a lot more together (when she is not stealing his toys from him) and they provide each other with a lot of laughter. And CassCass' day is not complete if we have not had a Dora storytime!

7 comments:

Grandma said...

Can I be copine too because certain foods call out my name when I go near them. Not biscuits so much, more often chocolate!

The retired teacher said...

Please tell me you won't be sending Lissa Lou to school during the holidays!

confused tatie said...

Was a little bit confused by your post...
Why does the other children speaking only creole mean Liss has to have french vocab help.
So is Liss in Champions or support??
Presumably you'll keep her home some of the hols so she can play with your visitors??

And isn't grandma and the retired teacher one and the same???

Giullietta said...

They are indeed

another retired (and disillusioned) teacher! said...

And I thought our government's target-orientated paranoia was unique to the European community!

Hevs said...

Wow i am overwhelmed by comments!
Yes chocolate calls my name out too mum - shrieks it out in fact!
LissaLou will certainly not be going to school in the hols. Far too many important and interesting things to be doing...
Sorry for the confusion evs! The Support group is apparently for children who don't have french as a first language, and LissaLou has made the most progress of the group in it, picking up lots of new vocab. However, academically she is in the top group.
Yes I thought only a country coming up with SATS could be so target oriented, but remember how the French system is created to stamp out all elements of creativity...!!!

Mum said...

That picture of Lissa's with all the red people - what was the inspiration for the pink roof - are there any with tiles that shape or pattern? I like these pictures very much!
PS I heard N S speaking at the end of G20 and he said'franchement'!!